The Great Gig in the Sky

(presumably poor) Lady gathering wood on the beach

Antalya 29.10.2011

Tonight I will pick up Wiebke at the airport here in Antalya, and she says that she has the program for the coming week figured out, so I’m looking forward to that. Cappadocia is a part of it, I know, and she will be leaving from Adana on the 6^th November.

This week has been really good. It’s been a little bit slow. I have not done too many kilometers, but have been a lot outside, done some hiking and had some beautiful evenings on remote beaches.

What more do I need?

Ephesus was... I don’t know. The ruins were not impressive enough to make up for the high entrance-fee (compared to other archeological sites in Turkey) and the crowds. I entered as soon as it opened, so the first hour was OK, but after that, the crowds were much bigger than the ruins, and that somehow ruined it.

Autumn on the BabaDag

On Thursday, I hiked properly. I wanted to walk from Ölüdeniz to Kabak, some 20 kilometers down the coast, on the Lucian way. I started off on the Lucian way alright, and followed the red and white markers. At some point, the red and white markers were exchanged by red and green markers. I didn’t think too much about it, and thought that they had gone out of white color. As the road continued to climb, when it after my thought should stop climbing I figured they hadn’t. 5 hours after I started in the morning, I reached the summit of the mighty Babadag (1960moh). The path had started at almost sea-level, so I was quite pleased, took out my bible, and the rest of my bread, and had a good break.

Above the clouds

Later that day I hiked some more (and took the wrong path one more time=), and ended up on a cliff about 25 meters above the sea. There I sat and watched the sun sink into the Mediterranean, before I went to sleep under the open sky. The ground was very stony and hard, so it was not a very comfortable night, but the good thing about waking up 4 or 5 times during the night was that I got to see the nigh-sky a lot. It was new-moon, which makes the stars (look) much brighter.

View from my cliff

On Tuesday I saw a corps (dead body). There had been an accident where a car had hit a pedestrian fatally. There were already lots of people, two police-vehicles and an ambulance there, so I didn’t stop, but it made me think about the fragility of life. One moment you’re walking around Söke(town in Turkey), and in the next, “poff”, you’re gone.

Taurus

I won’t preach the “live every day as if it was your last” preaching, because it isn’t any good to walk around thinking that you’ll die every day. You will die eventually, but to think a little bit into the future is not wrong. Still I believe that it is important to leave some time to dreaming, and some to realize them. I might not seem like a dreamer, but I have a lot of visions. I tend to think that if only one of ten come true, I will have a blessed and interesting life. If I will end up as a potato-farmer in Nepal is doubtful, but here I am in Turkey on a drive from Norway to Madagascar, so you never know.

Some of the best times I had with my friend Roger, was when we planned/dreamed a hitchhiking-trip through Europe with our guitars, financing it by playing on the street. It never came true, but we had a good time dreaming about it. As for those who think that I am crazy driving through Syria, think about it this way. Before I drive (or walk) around Söke (or Bergen) and “poff”, I’d rather live out one of my biggest dreams, even if it includes a little bit higher risk.

There is only one insurance-”company” that gives life. It’s not gjensidige or AOK! If you have Jesus, the end is a beginning, and while gjensidige is very expensive (believe me, I’ve done some research on this), Jesus is free. So make sure that if you should, “poff”, be unlucky, that you have “bought” Jesus first. Buy any insurance you want, but first Jesus, and you’ll be fine. 

"and I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I don't mind.

Why should I be frightened of dying? There's no reason for it, you got to go some time.

I never said I was frightened of dying"  - Pink Floyd, The Great Gig in the Sky